Highlights

Roc Marciano“Ruff Town” ft. Cormega

Hempstead’s Roc Marciano and Queensbridge’s Cormega have teamed up before on the posse cuts “Tricks of the Street” and “M.A.R.S.,” but this is their first pairing to date, which is kind of surprising considering they came up around the same time within 30 miles of one another and clearly share many of the same influences. Plus, they’re both short guys, who, in spite of their stature, sound like they could kill you without batting an eyelash.

No word yet on whether this track is off Roc’s forthcoming production album, Marci Beaucoup, or just a loosie. Either way, look out for that album as well as Corey’s Mega Philosophy, which is produced entirely by living legend Large Professor.

“Ruff Town” ft. Cormega

Hempstead’s Roc Marciano and Queensbridge’s Cormega have teamed up before on the posse cuts “Tricks of the Street” and “M.A.R.S.,” but this is their first pairing to date, which is kind of surprising considering they came up around the same time within 30 miles of one another and clearly share many of the same influences. Plus, they’re both short guys, who, in spite of their stature, sound like they could kill you without batting an eyelash.

No word yet on whether this track is off Roc’s forthcoming production album, Marci Beaucoup, or just a loosie. Either way, look out for that album as well as Corey’s Mega Philosophy, which is produced entirely by living legend Large Professor.

“Open The Wine”

A toast! Pour some wine! Sip to your health! Okay, so, the first thing Detroit-based Zoos Of Berlin told me is that they were really into Scott Walker. Soon after, we sipped fine wine and not-so-fine beer inside their professionally-designed, well-equipped studio-rehearsal space tucked up into re-purposed Recycling Center down a somewhat desolate street of a lonelier pocket of the Motor City, exuding proclivities towards the “cinematic” and the poignantly “atmospheric” elements of pop music.

Surfy guitars lap upon the foamy shores of your idyllic getaway, charmed by a softly smiling moonlight wreathed warmly by a starry azure glow; you dance/march your way along the promenade toward a mystical mansion, every window radiant with tawny chandelier-light spilling out, and suddenly you’re inside, bouncing on your toes to those shuffling organs, intoxicated by the waves of reverb, the fluttery flumes of those synthetic-harps and the breathily crooned harmonies. It’s all a whirl, and suddenly the corks back on and the dream snaps and shutters away. “Cinematic…” indeed! That’s the movie that just played inside my head while listening to the new single from Zoos Of Berlin, an all-too-welcomed if terrible tease of what lies ahead for our ears, on July 15, when they release their 2nd proper full-length Lucifer In The Rain on Time No Place.

This isn’t a mix of music that I enjoy listening to. In fact, with the exception of Charles Bradley and kitty, this is a mix of music that I either have no interest in (Destiny’s Child), am indifferent to (Bibio), might like if I put more effort in (Mikal Cronin), or flat-out don’t enjoy listening to (Tegan and Sara). But rather than stringing these songs together in some sort of masochistic mix, I decided to heavily edit them instead, looping, time-stretching/-compressing, modulating, rearranging, pitch-shifting, and eccojamming/plunderphonic-ing/chopping+screwing to the point where Vampire Weekend’s “Hudson” becomes a moody electronic track, Bibio’s “Mirroring All” turns into an ambient piece, Beach Fossils’ “Sleep Apnea” is deconstructed into a glitchy jam, and the entirety of Foxygen’s We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic is reduced to less than three minutes.

“Live @Mercado Negro in Aveiro, Portugal”

Fresh off they’s European tour, Matthewdavid and Diva bring you a heavy six-minute and 45-minute pair of songs. The first song reels that warped Matthewdavid absorption power around Diva’s wandering bass lines, and listeners are all thinking about tapping out, but the sheerness of their mutual immersion of sound keeps minds grounded and at peace. The second, MD lays down the tastiest of vocals, bassed by Diva’s intuitive rhythmic variations, encircling nods and ears: “[Live @Mercado Negro in Aveiro, Portugal].” Ooo, boii, MD really brings it toward the end here, too. Like the mellowist amp-up track ever! Can’t wait for a release of Matthewdavid’s vocal debut and (please, please, please) recorded/released documentation of his pairing with Diva. Diva has always crushed, both with her two prior releases, The Glitter End and Moon Moods, but that’s mostly her own stylized stuff. Diva on bass is an entirely different goddess. Both beings belong making music. <3